Pages

Sunday, September 9, 2012

Pink Dal with Swiss Chard

This Pleasantly Spicy Vegan Indian Dish is Healthy and Frugal

Lentils don’t get much love. Which always surprises me, because they’re versatile, inexpensive, and highly tasty. Especially in dal — an Indian dish that can be made from dried lentils, peas, or beans (pulses). Dal is a typical side dish at Indian meals, usually served with rice or bread. And there are scores of different dal recipes — today’s post is just one example.

Because dal is high in protein (about 25% by weight, comparable to meat), it’s an important nutritional source in India, where over a third of the population are vegetarians. And since dried lentils and beans are relatively inexpensive and go a long way, dals are an exceptionally thrifty dish.

This dish uses pink (some people call them red) lentils — a salmon-colored pulse that turns a yellowish brown when cooked. But you can use any lentil you choose (see Notes for differences in cooking times).

I often serve this as a side dish, but it has enough flavor and nutrition that you can easily serve it as a main course. In that case, I’d add rice and maybe a salad just to make the meal a bit more interesting. Although this is a vegan dish, most Indians are not vegans — their diets contain several milk products, particularly cheese and yogurt.

I specify Swiss chard in this recipe, but you can use any dark green you like. Spinach, kale, mustard greens, collard greens — they all work (see Notes for cooking tips). Or you can leave out the greens entirely, and still have a delicious dal. In fact, I used to make this recipe without the greens — until one day when I was faced with an overabundance of Swiss chard from my garden.

Making this dish requires a bit more than 10 minutes of active prep time, plus another 35 to 40 minutes for cooking.

This recipe serves 8 as a side dish. Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a few days (see Notes). They also freeze extremely well.

1 - 2 teaspoons dried ground coriander (I like coriander so I use more; but you may want to start off with less)

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (or to taste; I usually double)

salt

½ teaspoon garam masala (or to taste; see Notes)

Procedure

Pick over lentils (to remove any foreign objects, like pebbles or dirt), then wash and drain. Set aside until Step 7.

Peel and mince onion (size doesn’t greatly matter — I usually cut it into ½ inch dice).Peel fresh ginger and mince. Ditto with the garlic. (I often whirl these in a mini food processor.)

Heat 3- or 4-quart Dutch oven (or another pot with a heavy bottom that will be large enough to hold the lentils and about 4 cups of water) on medium heat. When hot, add oil. After the oil heats (it will shimmer), add onion, ginger, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper, and sauté until translucent (5 minutes, perhaps as many as 8).

Meanwhile, wash Swiss chard, remove any stems that are woody, and chop into pieces about an inch square.

When the onion is translucent, add the cumin, coriander, and red pepper flakes. Stir into the onion mixture and fry for 30 seconds. Then add the Swiss chard, stir, and cover Dutch oven with lid. Lower heat to medium-low, and cook for 5 minutes (you’re steaming and tenderizing the Swiss chard).

At the 5-minute mark, add the pink lentils and 3 to 4 cups water (depending on how soupy you want your dal to be; you can add less up front, and more later if you wish). Salt to taste (½ teaspoon for me). Bring to a simmer, cover and simmer. You’ll simmer for about 30 minutes, but take a look at the pot after about 15 to see if you need to adjust the water level.

When the dal is done (the lentils will be soft but still hold their shape), taste and adjust seasoning. Stir in the garam masala, remove from heat, and serve.

Notes

Pink lentils can be found in many supermarkets (if you don’t see them with the packaged dried beans and lentils, look in the section where they sell bulk grains and other products — if your supermarket does that). They’re also available at any Indian market.

Pink lentils have great flavor and are one of the fastest cooking lentils. But you can substitute any lentil. If you substitute common brown lentils (every supermarket carries these packaged in 1-pound bags), you’ll probably need to increase cooking time by 5 to 10 minutes.

Swiss chard is actually very similar to the type of spinach grown in India, which is one reason it works so well in this dish.

But if you don’t want to use Swiss chard, just substitute spinach (the type you find in the typical American supermarket). As noted above, you can also substitute another dark leafy green like kale or collards. These greens are tougher than Swiss chard (or spinach), however, so you may want to cook them another 5 minutes in Step 6 (this is optional; they’ll still be plenty tender by the time the dal is finished, but may have a bit of chew).

Garam masala is a mixture of spices commonly used in Indian cooking, particularly in northern India. It’s aromatic but not spicy hot. The blend of spices differs from one maker to another, but it virtually always includes ground black pepper and cloves, and usually cumin, cardamom, and cinnamon. Most supermarkets carry it (all the major spice manufacturers offer it). If you can’t find it, substitute a couple pinches each of ground cloves, ground cinnamon, ground cumin, and black pepper.

You should add the garam marsala at the end of cooking, right before serving. That’s because its main function is to impart an appealing aroma (although of course garam marsala does provide some flavor too). You’ll definitely notice the aroma as you bring a forkful of dal to your mouth. You can add more garam masala than I call for, but be careful — add too much and its flavor dominates the dish.

If you refrigerate or freeze leftover dal, make sure you reheat it to at least 165 degrees F. Because lentils (and other pulses) are so nutritious, they make excellent breeding grounds for bacteria. But this is nothing to worry about as long as you reheat it properly.

For the same reason, you want to refrigerate dal promptly when the meal is over.

The word “dal” can be used for a cooked dish (the way I’m using it here) or as a generic term for the pulse from which the dish is made. Thus, both pink lentils and common brown lentils are called dals.

Indian Fortnight on Kitchen Riffs

This week and next we’ll be discussing some Indian dishes. In fact, we’ll be putting together an entire dinner menu (sans dessert — I find most Indian desserts too sweet). The dishes I’ll be offering are ones I think most people will like, and are all pretty straightforward to prepare. I’ve cooked and served all of them to company numerous times, and they have been well received.

Actually, I’m having trouble limiting the number of recipes to just two weeks’ worth! I could do months of Indian recipes — I love the many flavors and cuisines of India. So rest assured that this series won’t be the last Indian cooking on Kitchen Riffs.

Later this week, we’ll discuss Aromatic Yellow Rice, a terrific dish that pairs well with dal of all descriptions. It would be appropriate with any Indian meal, but it’s equally at home next to roast chicken or grilled fish.

Hi Karen, aren't pink lentils wonderful? If you like lentils, I think you'll really like this recipe. But it's so easy to play with - you can add, subtract ingredients to suit your mood. Thanks for the comment.

This sounds like such a very satisfying dish, especially for us lentil lovers, and with WInter coming, I bet this would make a great lunch on a cold day. I can definitely see myself making a large batch and freezing most of it for wintry meals. Thanks for sharing.

Hi Chicago John, we freeze this all the time - there are just two of us, and we can't possibly eat it all at once (even when we serve it to company). This is a great cold weather dish. Thanks for your comment.

My husband makes a different curry every weekend and he loves lentils in particular so he will enjoy this weekend. I must admit I would have added the garam masala at the beginning to cook a little in oil to bring out the flavour so this is a new idea to add it at the end. I'm looking forward to the rest of the posts.

Hi Suzanne, adding the cumin, coriander, and red pepper flakes at the beginning helps build that layer of flavor I think you're looking for. Think of the garam masala, in this instance at least, kind of like the frosting on a cake - you're adding another layer of flavor on top of all the other flavors. Thanks for your comment.

My family often go to street vendors to eat the Dal curry with Roti Canai as breakfast here in Malaysia. There are so good. We try not to eat too often though. I think adding the Swiss chard is great variation to this dish. Nicely done!

Looks wholesome! Dal is one of my favorites in Indian cuisine, follows Palak paneer. I like the dark green addition, makes it all more nutritional. Gotta show it to my good Indian friend who always cooks for us, so I really don't get to cook Indian at home. Maybe I should try to be self sufficient :)

Hi Ilke, it's really worth learning how to make Indian food - once you figure out the spices and find the ingredients, and learn a few techniques, it's quite easy. And it quickly became pretty intuitive, for me at least. Thanks for the comment.

I know what you mean about lentils being under appreciated. It was only this past spring when I made a dish of lamb shanks with lentil ragu that my husband declared for the first time that he liked lentils. But I guess, better late then never, right? ;)

Hi Carolyn, oh, lamb shanks with lentils is a wonderful dish. It's been ages since I've cooked it! In fact lamb anything with lentils is a great combo. Glad your husband finally saw the light. ;-) Thanks for the comment.

John...I really enjoy Indian cuisine and that lead photo of yours is so beautiful and inviting! The aroma in your kitchen must have been heaven! I'm going to keep my eye out for the pink lentils. This looks like a perfect and hearty dish for fall! : )

Hi Ali, for some reason years ago I stopped cooking with lentils for a year or two - just got out of the habit, I don't know why. Silly, because they're simple to use and have great flavor. Thanks for your comment.

Completely and totally LOVE Indian food. Period. So can't wait to see whatcha got cookin'! I have some Naan in the freezer and this might be the perfect dish for tonight! I really love the pairing with the yellow rice. Delish. Thanks as always for a comprehensive overview and recipe!

Hi Kelly, this is a great dish to go with Naan. I'm going to be doing 4 or maybe 5 dishes total this week and next, and all except for 1 (maybe 2 - haven't quite decided) are going to be vegan, which of course is important to you. Thanks for commenting.

You know I really don't eat too many lentils and I'm not sure why especially because they're so good for you. This recipe looks delicious the way you've prepared it. I'm saving it to try and hopefully I can get my husband to indulge as well. That's doubtful but one can try!

Hi Yudith, I found it's easy to overlook dal because there are so many terrific Indian dishes out there, and of course I want to try them all. But dal is really easy to make, extremely flavorful, and it's easy to tinker with the recipe to suit mood/ingredients. And it tastes to great! Thanks for the comment.

This recipe with pink lentils look awesome...like the addition of the Swiss chard...and yes I can have this a main dish...Thanks for the recipe as I am trying to have more lentils on our table :)Have a wonderful week!

I have to admit that I'm one that doesn't give lentils much love. :) To be honest, I don't order them because the couple of times I have ordered them, I didn't like them. I made them once and that was a total failure! Maybe it's just that I haven't had the right dish or found the right recipe. I keep wanting to give them another try because of the nutritional value, so your recipe might just have to be the one I try. With all of that ginger and garlic, it has to be good! I'm also a huge Swiss chard fan, so that's an added plus. O.K. I'll give them another chance this fall! :)

Hi MJ, it might be that lentils just don't speak to you. And truthfully, some lentil dishes have a rather austere flavor - I'm thinking in particular of some French recipes (which to be fair are built around a different kind of lentil than what we typically see in the US). Although the flavoring is quite different, a good dal has somewhat the same essence of red beans and rice. No ham so you don't get those great flavors, but the ginger, garlic, and spices add a lot. I'll be interested to see how you like this dish! Thanks for your comment.

This sounds good but I wonder how successfully you can substitute other lentils? Pink (red) or white lentils will generally break down to mush when cooked where green or brown generally hold their shape. It seems different lentils would produce a completely different although still tasty dish?

Hi Food Junkie, you make a good point that other lentils have somewhat different flavors, so of course the dish will be a little different depending on what lentil you use. But the essence will be there. And as I pointed out, different lentils do have different cooking times. The timing here works for pink lentils; brown lentils take a bit longer, and will begin to lose their shape as you cook them longer (the pink lentils I used are just at the stage where they're losing their shape; but in the 3rd picture in particular you can see some still retain their shape). But I definitely didn't mean to imply that different lentils would produce a dish that tasted identical! There will be differences, but reasonably subtle. Thanks for your comment.

Gorgeous Dal! I have been trying to stay away from gluten and eggs and have begun eating many more and more Indian dishes over the last year. I would love to make a huge pot of this yummy dal and eat it for breakfasts and lunches. Lots of vitamins and nutrients and super tasty as well.

Hi Bam, isn't it pretty? Indian food is so delish - very satisfying, and much of it is exceptionally healthy. I haven't had dal for breakfast, though I don't know why - it's great! Thanks for the comment.

Hi Words of Deliciousness, I'm also really fond of putting lentils (and any kind of bean, really) into soups. Makes them so hearty and satisfying. This dish is terrific - really worth making. Thanks for your comment.

Hi Nami, Swiss chard is good stuff - think of it as spinach on steroids! You can even use it in salads when it's young and tender. The flavor is different, of course, but there's a resemblance. Thanks for your comment.

Hi Hotly Spiced, dal is one of those basic sides that every Indian restaurant seems to offer. And Indian cooking does use an awful lot of pulses in their cooking - a great meat alternative. Thanks for your comment.

I must admit, I'm not a huge fan of lentils. I'm not sure what it is, maybe It's just that I prefer meat over them? Either way, you're always so good at making these ingredients look so delicious. :D Maybe I'll give it a go. ;)

Hi Jenny, although lentils are often used as a meat substitute, you can think of them as a veggies, too. Lamb and French lentils (those green ones) are a classic combo that is so wonderful - you might want to give that a try sometime. And this dish has a lot of flavor - I don't think you'll miss meat. Besides, you can serve it with meat! It goes nicely with tandoori chicken. Thanks for your comment.

I am looking forward to all your Indian inspired recipes, I don't make enough Indian dishes. I really don't know enough about the spices that are used in each dish. Thank you for sharing about the pink lentils, I need to find some! I just wanted to share, the proper temp to reheat food is actually 165:-) Take care, Terra

Hi Terra, Indian food is great! And you'll enjoy pink lentils - delicate flavor, and so quick to cook. Thanks for the heads up about 165 degrees rather than 160 - I'll edit the post! And thanks for the comment.